At the ITF’s first-ever climate change conference, speakers urged the ITF to develop sustainable means to achieve emission reductions from the transport industry. According to a
widely supported motion, this would require “fundamental
changes in the current system of globalised production which relies on global
supply chains, low transport costs and cheap and increasingly casual labour”. It
would also require a bigger role for public transport. “Reducing the use of private vehicles will be essential in the future and, for
this, public transport must be quick, affordable and efficient,”
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| What will the climate change stragegy the International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF - just adopted look like in practive? A short reflexion here
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| "Rapid green recovery program" could create four times more jobs |
| September 2008: the Green jobs for america campaign, led by the United Steelworkers, Sierra Club and others, released a report showing that the U.S. can create two million jobs and reduce the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent over two years by investing in the green economy - a "rapid green recovery program" that would create four times more jobs than the same investment in oil by investing in six renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies. |
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Steel Workers and Sierra Club team with Al GoreSteelworkers and Sierra Club will educate members, promote global warming solutions and push for investment in green economy. |
United Steelworkers, North America’s largest private sector manufacturing union with 850.000, and the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization with 1,3 million members and supporters announced in 2006 the formation of The Blue/Green Alliance. From March 2008 they will work jointly with the Alliance for Climate Protection founded by Al Gore, to educate members about global warming and activate them behind solutions that can promote economic prosperity. The member-to-member program will be the first of its kind to build a blue-collar constituency for global warming solutions. More |
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Historic move towards ‘just transition’ to green transport - 5. august 2010
Trade Union Statement , 
”We hereby issue a call for commitment.
"We aim to defend and support the most vulnerable, in the course of what we hope to be a ‘Just Transition’ process. Justice, rights, social protection and training are the hallmarks of such a process for a sustainable future."
"As defined by the ILO, Green Jobs are ‘decent jobs’, with high labour standards and working conditions but also with high eco-efficiency and low emissions. Trade Unions call on governments to promote such employment opportunities"
"Trade unions are aware that certain sectors will suffer from efforts aimed at mitigating climate change (…) we expect losses in the European coal sector and the oil refining industry. (…) While trade unions accept that changes in some sectors are necessary, we propose the adoption of a range of Just Transition measures to prevent hardships to workers that arise from such transformations."
"Any green strategy has to be pro-union. If unions are losing ground, so is any chance of a green future. The market won’t green itself. Corporate America won’t green itself anymore than it would lift wages by itself, or enforce safe working conditions by itself." R. Toussaint Transport Workers Union New York City.
Listen to Roger Toussaint
"As the Stern Review reminded us, climate change represents the biggest market failure in history. We cannot rely on those same failed market mechanisms to get us out of this crisis. Investments in water, health, transportation, housing and other essential infrastructure should reverse the destructive trend of privatisation and deregulation, and should be public and democratically accountable." International Trade Union statement, Bali 2007
“During World War II we built more than 50 planes a day. We should be able to build a renewable energy plant a week to protect our environment, end our addiction to foreign oil and lead to new industries that will create thousands of real jobs.” David Foster, director of the Blue-Green Alliance
" Democratic governance will from now on also describe a government’s response to climate change." International Trade Union statement, Bali 2007
"Quality public services and strong public sector leadership at all levels of government must be at the heart of the global response to climate change." International Trade Union statement, Bali 2007
"Opportunities should be taken to raise the awareness of employees and their
representatives about climate change through union-based education programmes, especially as it is well known that the effects directly spill over into the home and community." International Trade Union statement, Bali 2007
Germany: The national trade union centre DGB and the German unions collaborate with government, environmental NGO’s and employers’ federations in a programme to renovate buildings, contributing to climate protection while creating sustainable jobs. The Alliance for Work and Environment aims to renovate 300,000 apartments, create 200,000 jobs, reduce 2 million tonnes per annum of CO2 emissions and lower heating bills for tenants, landlords, and the State by about US $4 billion, through reduction of unemployment costs and increased income taxes, etc.